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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. staff — employees
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. row — a line
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. row — to paddle
  9. field — farmland
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. staff — a stick
  12. staff — employees
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. pitch — completely
  15. field — for sport
  16. object — a thing
  17. drill — army training
  18. drill — the tool
  19. object — an aim
  20. field — a subject
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. drill — a practice
  23. object — to protest
  24. hide — to keep secret

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com